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Messages - habanero

I've done my share of touring including the Lewis & Clark and the Transam. My question is whether this forum is the proper place to be asking for monetary donations for a personal tour. In this particular case, perhaps another loan or help from family and friends would be more appropriate!

I've been planning a tour starting in the middle of June beginning in Montrose, CO going north through the Tetons/Yellowstone NPs then up to Glacier NP then onto the Northern Tier west to Twisp, WA connecting to the Sierra/Cascades route south to Lake Tahoe and maybe down to Yosemite NP. On C-SPAN, they said that many of the back roads would not be plowed and that services in the NPs would be cut back. I could start later, if it would make a difference.

I agree with Russ on the timing. If you started from the south though, it would be better, because the wind is usually blowing from S to N up the Mississippi river. Plus, it should be warmer starting out and have a better change of good weather when you do get north.

When I'm in my largest gear and shift to the middle gear, the cable doesn't stop at the middle gear and goes to the smallest gear. Then, I have to shift back up to the middle gear. Has anyone had this problem?

I've done several centuries over the years and my favorite is 'Ride the Rivers' that starts in St. Charles, MO every October. It goes through St. Louis county and city, then up the Mississippi river and crosses the Illinois and Mississippi rivers by way of ferries, and then back to St. Charles along the Missouri river. It's organized by Trailnet.org if anyone's interested.

The Katy Trail is now complete all the way to Machens, MO. This is the start/end of the trail. From St. Louis, you would take the Mississippi Rive trail up to Alton, IL. Go over the Alton bridge and maneuver your way to the start of the Katy trail. This will save you several miles and eliminate taking the Brussels and Golden Eagle ferries. I did the L&C tour self supported in 2004. If you have any questions, I'd be glad to help. Also, I live close to St. Louis.

>:(I did the TransAm last year and the dogs were really thick in western Virginia and most of Kentucky. I just slowed down and did a lot of yelling. I got a good video of some of them. It on Day 21 in Kentucky on my journal at crazyguyonabike.com/doc/ted2010tour.

In 3 to 4 years, there will be too many changes to the current maps. I was with others on the TransAm this summer and some had older maps than me. There were a couple places in the Virginia/Kentucky area that the route was changed. Not to mention that grocery stores, restaraunts, camp sites, etc. close down and others open. However, even the lattest maps don't catch all of these either.

I can verify that crossing the Appalachians is the hardest part of the TransAm. They took a toll on my bottom that I had to quit 30 miles before Kansas. My saddle sores got infected and were absessed. I'm in St. Claire hospital right now after getting surgery. The absess had to be drained. Its still very painfull. But, I'm hoping to heal in 2 weeks and rejoin my group somewhere in Colorado.

My journal is at crazyguyonabike.com/doc/ted2010tour, if your interested.

It looks like I'll be doing the TransAM this summer. I like to have a few beers in the evening after bicycling all day, but I know there are a lot of dry counties in Virginia and Kentucky. Can anyone tell me those dry counties I'll be going through?

I'm planning to ship my bicycle to a bicycle shop in Jasper, Alberta, fly to Edmonton, take a bus or train to Jasper, and start my self contained tour. I plan to use ACA's maps of the Great Parks, Northern Tier, and Pacific Coast. I plan on a starting date of mid July, 2010 and plan on taking 2 to 3 months. I plan on camping most of the time. If anyone has done this trip before and wants to give advice, your comments are welcome.

Hi, my name is Ted and I'm live close to St. Louis, MO. I've done a few short tours and 2 long ones. The longest was the Lewis & Clark trail from St. Louis to Astoria, OR in 2004. I'm planning to do the TransAm next year (2010) starting sometime in May.